July 24, 2026

Libertarians Now Foreign Agents


Libertarians Now Foreign Agents
Building of the Ministry of Justice. Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, Wikimedia Commons.

On July 17, Russia's Ministry of Justice included the Libertarian Party of the Russian Federation and its chairwoman in the country's roster of foreign agents. The political entity had publicly opposed Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine — drawing official attention to its activities.

The Libertarian Party was founded in St. Petersburg in 2008. The party had attempted to register with Russian authorities in the past, but it never received official status. In 2020, the political entity split into two, both using the same name and symbols. One of the parties is currently led by Marina Matsapulina, who, on July 17, was declared a foreign agent. The leader of the other branch of the political entity, Sergey Karnavsky, is not currently on the list of foreign agents.

According to Russian state outlet Kommersant, the Ministry of Justice accused the Libertarian Party of "disseminating false information about the Russian electoral system." The party, a known opponent of Russia's war in Ukraine, has also faced authorities' accusations of "fake news" and "distributing materials by foreign agents." 

The Libertarian Party and Matsapulina didn't join the list of foreign agents alone. On the same day, writer Dmitry Petrov, journalist and founder of the banned news site OVD-info, Alexander Polivanov, and the organization of freelance journalists Fourth Sector also received this new legal status. Petrov and Polivanov currently reside outside of Russia.

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